Re: [alliance] Dead ?

[Daniel Arbuckle <djarb@wvc-omak.ctc.edu>]

On Tue, Oct 24, 2000 at 03:01:51AM +0200, Edwin Velds wrote:
> Daniel Arbuckle wrote:
> > 
> > I think that you have it a bit wrong, here. Ramon is extremely
> > capable, as is Stefano. I too have the needed skill, and can gather
> > the knowledge on demand.
> 
> I wasn't doubting anybody's capabilities. I know that each of you is
> more than qualified.

I didn't think you meant any insult. Sorry for getting defensive anyway.

> > No, what is lacking is time. Ramon and I are both upperclassmen at our
> > various universities. Stefano has a full time job, IIRC. This project
> > is a fascinating hobby, but it can't always have the highest priority.
> 
> Yes, that *is* the problem. My point was that if people don't have any
> time right now, that I don't see that changing anytime soon. If at all.
> That's why I suggested to find some extra people. Some new blood could
> be the impulse we need.

It seems I misinterpreted that part of your message, too. I agree that
more interested people could be useful.

> > You say that you don't have the understanding to do any work right
> > now, but you do have the desire. The difference between a hacker and a
> > coder is not that the hacker has some great cosmic understanding. The
> > difference between a hacker and a coder is that the hacker doesn't let
> > lack of understanding stop him; instead, he reads and experiments
> > until he has the understanding.
> > 
> > You want to do something, but are frustrated because others of us are
> > not moving at the pace you would like. Be a hacker. Move the project
> > forward at a pace that suits you. The rest of us will keep up or not,
> > but the project will go forward. This is why we make the source code
> > public in the first place: to empower people like you.
> > 
> I understand what you're saying, but it's not all that easy. All I have
> is my current knowledge, which I'm always expanding of course. And when
> it comes to certain fields of interest, I definitely behave like a
> hacker. But there are task that need to be done that are so far out of
> my league, that it is impossible for me to get something done there. The
> learning curve is just to steep for the time that I can spend. I have
> that personal life thing to deal with too. I'd be happy to help the pace
> by doing things that I don't know yet, I'd love to learn. But with the
> last cvs update being 4 months ago, there is no pace to build up on. And
> I currently don't have the skill (or time to get it) to set the pace on
> my own.

I know it's hard. I spent years learning to get to the point where I
could sit down with a question and stand up with an answer. But it's
very rewarding; I suggest you work toward it even if this project is
not your reason for doing so.

> If the project is to survive, there must at least be *some* progress.
> Once there is some evidence of progress, more people will join in.
> However, I do think we need a slight change in strategy. I think you'll
> agree that we proved to be unable to let go of certain areas. When there
> was a discussion about the user interface, everybody joined in. When
> there was a discussion about the graphics kernel, everybody was there.
> Which lead to a situation where we spent far to much time on the mailing
> lists. In the future we need more focus on what's important at this
> stage. Someone qualified should choose a few areas of focus to work on
> while we mostly ignore the rest. We should strive to always have
> progress in these areas of focus, if we can't maintain that, then I
> truly think that the project is doomed.

This is insightful. It suggests a new strategy to me:
Let the people who are working on a particular part of the project
design it as well as build it. If you don't like it, design and build
you own in competition with it rather than interfering with the
others' work. In the end, the better solution will prevail.

Daniel
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